The invention relates to an intervertebral implant having an abutment element for abutment on at least one vertebral body.
Such intervertebral implants are inserted into intervertebral spaces after removal of an intervertebral disc. To do so, it is necessary to grasp such an abutment element with a handling instrument in order that it can be inserted in the correct position into the intervertebral space.
The insertion is relatively easy, but difficulties may occur during the extraction, particularly when an intervertebral implant has to be removed again after a considerable time in situ. Considerable pulling forces then have to be applied to the abutment element or the abutment elements, and problems occur, particularly in the case of small intervertebral implants in the area of the cervical vertebrae and also when materials that do not have a very high strength are used for the abutment element. When the abutment element is grasped directly with a tong-shaped or clamp-type handling instrument, there is the risk that the abutment element will break away, that pieces of material will be torn off or that the entire abutment element will break.
The object of the invention is to so construct a generic intervertebral implant that even when materials that do not have a high strength are used for the abutment element, or the abutment element is of small structural size, high pulling forces can still be applied to the abutment element, if necessary, in order to extract it from its position in an intervertebral space.